Evolution (2)
Mirae Department Store headquarters.
“Cha Hee-ju?”
The man who came in wearing a black helmet was looking for Hee-ju.
“Yes?”
When Hee-ju, dressed in a sleek white suit, raised her hand, the helmeted man handed over a large, yellowish bundle.
“Courier delivery. Sign here, please.”
Hee-ju quickly signed it, wondering what it was.
The nearby employees stole curious glances or edged closer to ask, “What is it?”
“I’m not really sure either.”
After tugging at the tightly wrapped bundle and finally loosening it, a familiar vinyl case came into view.
“Ah!”
The moment Hee-ju realized the item she had been waiting for had finally arrived, she let out a cry of delight, and the employees around her closed in even more.
“What is it? Bedding?”
“What brand is that?”
“Can we take a look?”
Even without their prompting, Hee-ju had been dying of curiosity herself.
“Of course we have to look. Conference room, go.”
The employees followed Hee-ju into the conference room.
As she pulled out the neatly folded pure-white bedding and spread it across the large table,
“Wow—”
“Oh, it’s beautiful.”
“I’ve never seen a pattern like this before. What is it?”
She could barely answer. Holding her breath, she ran her fingertips over the texture.
She had been told it was made from a linen, modal, and cotton blend, but she had not expected the actual feel to be this mysterious and soft.
This much… David Sochi would definitely like it.
Under the conference room’s bright lights, the cotton threads revealed a fine sheen that blended beautifully with a quiet, natural softness.
Because of that, it felt plush and gentle, yet so much like touching a meadow with her fingertips that it almost seemed unreal.
It was the sort of thing that left her with no other thought except that it was truly exquisite.
“Sorry, but I’m going to pack this up now since it’s a gift.”
“But where is it from?”
Hee-ju gave an awkward smile at the employee who had asked the same question for the third time.
“You’ve probably never heard of Haesol Textile. I only learned about them recently too. It’s a brand called GyeolBit that they make there, and it isn’t sold in Korea. It only goes overseas.”
“Oh, but how did you get this…?”
“I had it specially made as a gift.”
“As expected…”
The employee nodded with a disappointed look, as if to say, That’s what only a chaebol can do.
After carefully folding the bedding back up and sending the other employees out, Hee-ju hurriedly tapped the name Jung Seung-hyun from Haesol Textile on her phone screen.
Not long after the call connected, a tired voice came from the other end of the line.
[Hello, Cha Hee-ju.]
“The courier just got here. And… this is really top-notch.”
From the receiver came the sound of someone swallowing a yawn and clicking a mouse.
[I’m glad. I figured you’d only know once you touched it yourself.]
“Exactly. I was so moved just seeing it. That’s when I thought, so this is why the LVMH Group invested in Haesol Textile.”
[Thank you. Then I suppose everything we had to do for each other is done, yes?]
She had rented out a store in the heart of Hongdae’s main commercial district with a six-month rent-free term, and Seung-hyun had sent her a limited-edition bedding set. In that sense, they had each fulfilled their part.
But then—
“Yes. It is, but…”
[Yes?]
“Actually, my grandfather’s birthday is in a week. I’d been agonizing over what kind of gift to get him, but now that I’ve seen this, every other idea just vanished.”
[…]
“I know this must be difficult. But since you made one already, could you make just one more for me?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
Hee-ju could only tense up, wondering what sort of answer she would get.
Then, unable to wait any longer, she hugged the bedding tightly to her chest and added pleadingly,
“Just one more. I’m not asking because I want it for myself. It’s for my grandfather’s birthday present.”
[…If that happens, then the bedding you gave David Sochi wouldn’t really be a special edition made just for him anymore.]
“It’s not for sale anyway. Unless Grandfather goes around bragging to David Sochi, how would anyone know?”
Maybe because she had a point?
There was no immediate refusal.
No,
[We’d need more materials, and I’d also have to check the factory schedule.]
That was practically a yes.
Hee-ju broke into a bright smile.
“Of course. Naturally.”
[Earlier, it was a trade because we each wanted something from the other, but this is an additional request, so there has to be compensation appropriate to the value of the bedding.]
“Fine. How much will it be?”
[Hmm… ten million won should do it.]
“What?”
Cha Hee-ju was taken aback.
[If you don’t like it, we don’t have to—]
“Wait!”
[…]
“That’s… a little… on the expensive side, isn’t it?”
[Compared with other high-end luxury goods, I thought it was a reasonable price. Of course, it’s a limited edition and not mass-produced, so I factored in the added value as well.]
On reflection, it really wasn’t an absurd price.
“Hmm… all right. I’ll pay.”
[Good. Would you like to pay by card?]
“No. I’ll pay in cash.”
[Usually people use corporate cards for this sort of thing. Especially chaebols.]
“I’m not an executive at Mirae Department Store, so can I even charge this to a corporate card? And if I buy gifts with the company card, I’ll get criticized later even after giving a good present. They’ll say I was making a show of it with company money.”
[Should I issue a cash receipt?]
“...You’re thorough, aren’t you?”
[Of course. I’ll do what needs to be done. I’ll send you the account number, so if you email me, I’ll issue the cash receipt and send it over.]
“Good. Just make sure I can receive it within a week. I’ll deposit the money on the day the bedding arrives.”
After hanging up, Hee-ju smiled with satisfaction.
And then she immediately started looking for airline tickets.
“Uncle Sochi, please look at this and change your mind.”
She prayed with all her heart.
*
A week later, in Hannam-dong.
A dinner party was underway in the garden of Hanil Group chairman Cha Sang-wook’s lavish mansion.
Bright lights hung everywhere, and a red carpet had been laid beside the broad granite steps.
Luxury imported cars lined up in front of the estate, because this was the chairman’s birthday party, held every year around this time.
It was, in every sense, a large-scale gathering where the family of a chaebol house came together under one roof.
The long tables were covered with rare wines and all manner of high-end dishes.
Soft piano music drifted through the air as Chairman Cha Sang-wook, his white hair neatly combed back, received birthday congratulations from his three sons and his grandchildren.
His eldest son, Cha Se-jun, and Se-jun’s wife, as well as his second son, Cha Se-hyeok, and Se-hyeok’s wife, had already given their gifts and basked in the old man’s favor.
Since her father was away on an urgent business trip to the United States, Hee-ju’s family consisted only of her mother, Jin Seong-im, and her older brother, Cha Kwang-jin.
Chairman Cha Sang-wook’s attention turned to the next person in line, his daughter-in-law.
“How is the department store doing?”
Though Cha Sang-wook’s face was covered in wrinkles and he had long since stepped away from the front lines, his influence was still formidable.
His stock holdings had not disappeared.
“It’s difficult. Retail is all like that, but…”
“Kwang-jin is smart. He’ll run it well.”
A thin smile touched her brother’s lips.
Jin Seong-im had married into the Cha family and brought a department store with her, so from the chairman’s perspective, his youngest daughter-in-law was bound to be dear to him.
“I think so too. If you’ve prepared a gift, go ahead and give it to him.”
“Yes.”
Cha Kwang-jin rose confidently and lifted a large framed piece wrapped in white paper.
It was obvious at a glance that he had bought a painting from some auction house.
“Grandfather, this is a painting I worked hard to obtain.”
Everyone in the family knew that Chairman Cha Sang-wook liked paintings.
“Oh? Really?”
As the chairman carefully peeled away the wrapping paper, a series of long, sweeping lines came into view.
“This is…”
“Yes, it’s a work by the painter Lee Ufan.”
“It must have cost a lot.”
His brother scratched the back of his head and said with a shy air, “Around three hundred million won.”
“Three hundred million? Where did you get that kind of money?”
No matter how wealthy a chaebol was, they didn’t usually have much cash on hand beyond inherited stocks and real estate.
And since they couldn’t dare sell stock without the elders’ permission, there weren’t many ways to raise funds.
So Cha Kwang-jin couldn’t go around spending his own money recklessly outside, either. He mainly used a corporate card.
“Haha, I leveraged a building in Yongsan as collateral for a bit of financing.”
At that instant, Chairman Cha Sang-wook’s face hardened slightly.
“You did something useless.”
Seeing his grandfather’s expression, his brother froze a little.
“I’m sorry.”
“Forget it. Since you already bought it, I’ll enjoy it for a long time.”
“Yes! Thank you.”
The matter ended pleasantly, and his brother’s face brightened again.
Then their mother’s gaze turned to her daughter.
At that moment, Lee Bo-yeon, wife of the second uncle Cha Se-hyeok and sister-in-law to Jin Seong-im, let out a casual remark while drinking wine.
“It’s not enough for just the nephews to bring gifts. Shouldn’t the daughter-in-law have something prepared too?”
Jin Seong-im didn’t let her expression change in the slightest.
“When I married into this family, I brought the department store to the Cha family, so I think that should be enough as a birthday present for Father-in-law for the rest of my life… wouldn’t you agree, Father?”
“Huh? Right. Hahaha! You brought Mirae Department Store with you, so what’s the big deal about a birthday gift?”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Lee Bo-yeon’s face changed slightly, but she turned away as if she had never asked the question at all.
If they divorced, the department store she had brought would become someone else’s again, but no one brought that up.
Then Hee-ju stood up from her seat, tucked her hair behind one ear, and walked toward the chairman with an awkward smile and a bag in hand.
“What’s that?”
“Could it be bedding?”
The muttering of relatives brushed past Hee-ju’s ears.
Every face she saw wore a look of open mockery.
Even her brother looked plainly pitying.
But Cha Hee-ju didn’t care.
On the contrary, she was simply grateful that the bedding had arrived in time for her grandfather’s birthday today.
Chairman Cha Sang-wook, feeling everyone’s attention turn to him, lifted his brows slightly in curiosity.
The other children had brought luxury watches and expensive works of art, but this looked, no matter how you sliced it, like bedding. He must have wondered what on earth she was bringing him with that.
Still, Hee-ju carefully handed it to the staff manager in charge of the old man’s household, as though it were something precious beyond measure.
“Please take it out and spread it open.”
At once, employees who had been standing by to assist behind the banquet area gathered and took out the bedding.
“Grandfather, I picked this out myself. I really wanted to give it to you.”
When four people each took one side and spread it out, a blanket that looked almost like pure white silk, yet showed a delicate, elegant grain, unfurled before everyone’s eyes.
The relatives who had laughed at it at first now frowned and examined it more closely.
Seeing the snow-white waves and the meadow spread within them, Cha Sang-wook reached out and lightly touched the bedding with his fingertips.
“Oh?”
The chairman’s eyes widened at the unusual softness he felt through his fingertips.
The subtle sheen, the natural folds, and the pattern that faintly called a meadow to mind drew him in in a strange, quiet way.
“Hmm… this does look rather special. Hee-ju, where did you get something like this?”
“There’s a place I’ve been paying attention to lately called Haesol Textile. I specially ordered a limited-edition bedding set to persuade the CEO of Promemoria, who has insomnia, and when I saw it, I thought of you, Grandfather… It just seemed like it would suit you the moment I saw it, so I asked for a special favor.”
“Really? There’s a place in Korea making things like this? Is it sold at your department store too?”
“No. This bedding isn’t sold in Korea. It’s all for export. Right now, even the vice president of Blanc des Vosges has come in to try to import it.”
“Oh. I see.”
The relatives who had dismissed it as nothing more than a blanket had their expressions stiffen as they listened to the conversation between Hee-ju and the chairman.
They couldn’t help it. Chairman Cha’s face looked brighter than it had when he received custom luxury watches worth over a billion won.
“Perhaps it’s because I’m getting old, but I haven’t been sleeping well lately, so I’ve been uncomfortable. I’m looking forward to seeing how this feels when I cover myself with it. I’m very grateful.”
It was the first time he had used the adverb “very” as well.
“Thank you.”
As Hee-ju returned to her seat, the corners of her mouth were practically hooked up to her ears.
Cha Kwang-jin turned away, unable to stand the sight of it, when the chairman’s voice came again.
“Hee-ju.”
“Yes?”
“Now that I’ve received this, I can’t just sit still. I’ll tell you a few people, so send gifts to them too. They’ll help you a lot when you work in the future.”
Hee-ju, startled, barely managed to rein in the laughter threatening to burst out of her and answered,
“Yes. I’ll send gifts that are just a little less nice than this bedding.”
Watching Chairman Cha happily line up people who could help his granddaughter, everyone else could only burn with envy.
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